Thomas m



lcity of St. Louis,

- TIIoMAs M. GALIQAGIIER, on s'r. vLo

UIs, M1ssoUnI, issie-Non To Tun SIHCKLE, HARRISON `& IIOW'AR'D IRON` COMPANY.

CAR-COUP-LlNG.

I SPECIFICATION naming partei l :Application tiled anuary 3, -1898.

Letters Patent No. 605,055, dated May 31 1898.

'sentira @saam-i. un model.)

VTo all whomzit'myconccrm Be itkncwn' that LTHoIvIAs M. GALLAGHER, a citizen ofthe United States, lresiding at the in the State of Missouri,

" have invented a certain new and useful Im- 'provenient in Car-Couplers,

of- Which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, 'reference' ,being had drawings, forming part of this specification.

My present invention relates to certain im- Y provements in the vertical-plane type of car-couplers, and to the particular kind of such couplers wherein the knuckle is locked in its closed position by a vertically-moving pin-as,^for instance, such a coupler as is shown and described in Patentl\T o. -53S,5S1, vissued April 30,' 1895, tot the Shickle, Harrison a Howard Iron Company. InA this kind of a, coupler much difficulty and annoyance `have been experiencedby the creeping of the locking-pin when the train is inmotion and the couplers are understrain. The difculty does not occur when the train is slack, as the weight of the locking-pin at such time keeps it in its lowerposition; 'but when the engine is pulling a load and the couplers are under strain or-tension the locking-pins have a tendl Vi? the locking-pin;

vation andin its open position.

ency to creep up until they are above the tailsof 4the knuckles, and the couplers thus become uncoupled.

l My inventionI consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and "pointed out -in the claim.

Figure I is a vertical section'tlirough the head and part ofthe shank of a draw-bar, the

section 'beingv taken on line'I I, Fig. II, the knuckle or coupling-head being shown in ele- Fig. II is a section taken on line Il ll, Fig. I., with the knuckle closed. Fig. LIII is a perspective view of the locking-pin.

2. 'is the knuckle orcoupling-head, and at These parts operate andare constructed and arranged, except so far as they are modified' byvlnylpresent invention,

as hereinafter explained, the saine as in the patent above referred to. Instead of forin- -ing the inclined on the lower for WardcornerV 1 of therlocking-pin, as In said patent, there is substituteda curved recess the tail of the knuckleto enter beneath the l lockingepin to raisethe latter as the coupling is being made. By providing this recess the to the accompanying tween the tail andthe cf the parts would be thus far detracted from.

To provide against thevertical creeping of' 'the locking-pin when the 'coupler is under p y Y curved recess at the l represents the draw-bar, having a head bodvof thev pin at thev side where. the tail 5, that permits Y tail ofthe knuckle is permitted to enter beneath the locking-pin, while at the same time the side 6 of the 'pin is of full length and rests L against the bottom wall of the opening in the draw-head, as shown at. 7, Fig. ll, so as toV give a full bearing or con-tact between the tail of the knuckle and .the locking-pin. If this corner ofV` the locking-pin were inclined, as shown in the patent referred to, or if it were straight across, as shown bythe dotted line A, Fig. II, the tail of the knuckle would be permitted to enter beneath the locking-pin, but there would not be afull bearing bepin, and the strength tension, the lower'end of the side 6 of thc locking-pin is provided with an inclined surfacefS to receive the inclined face 9 on the inner end of the tail ofthe knuckle, as illustrated in Figs; Il and IH. By thus providing the contact-surfaces of the pin and tail respectively with inclinesthe locking-pin is Vheld hy wedge-like action from creeping upward, and this lock-is'provided without Inaterially adding to the cost of the coupler, and by sov constructing the'pin thatthe side 6 will rest upon the bottoni wall of the' opening in the draw-head the length of the incline is such that should the pin creep slightly still there will be plenty of bearing for the tail of the knuckle against the pin, and it will be impossible for the pin to creep sufliciently to eect a separation of the cars.

VI claim as my invention- The combination of a draw-head having an opening, a knuckle having a tail formed with a downwardly and inwardly inclined surface at its inner end, anda pin formed with a lower end ofthe body,

so formed as to'perrnit the lower end of the bears, to rest on the bottom wall of the opening in the .draw-head, and alsowith an up- Wardly and inwardly inclined surface extending from the lower end ofthe body of the pin and receiving the inclined surface cf the tail of the knuckle; substantially as described. I A THOMAS M. GALL'AGIIERV. Inpresen'ce of l E. S. KNIGHT, ,N. V. ALEXANDER.

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